KANSAS CITY — With one out in the bottom of the fifth inning Tuesday, Yusei Kikuchi walked Jackie Bradley Jr., the light-hitting Kansas City Royals outfielder, to put the go-ahead run on base.
A year ago, Kikuchi often spiralled in situations like this. He’d pitch tentatively, avoiding the strike zone instead of attacking it, and trouble would ensue. The result: a 5.19 ERA, the loss of his rotation spot and a disappointing beginning to a three-year, $36-million contract.
At Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, Kikuchi responded differently. First, he struck out right fielder Nate Eaton with a 97-m.p.h. fastball above the strike zone. A few pitches later, he enticed second baseman Nicky Lopez to swing over a 91-m.p.h. slider to escape the inning and preserve what was then a 2-1 Blue Jays lead.
Elated, Kikuchi spun off the mound, pumping his fist and shouting as he bounced toward the Blue Jays’ third base dugout. It was the final pitch he’d throw Tuesday, but his efforts were essential to a 4-1 Blue Jays win – and if that finish was a sign of things to come in 2023, this year has a chance to be much different.
Throughout spring training, there were signs that things could be different for Kikuchi in 2023. He spent all winter training in Arizona, working out intensely while also refining his mental approach. The Grapefruit League results were undeniable, too: a 0.87 ERA and an MLB-best 31 strikeouts.
Still, there’s a difference between executing in exhibition games and doing so when it all counts. By performing the way he did Tuesday, Kikuchi proved that the progress he made can translate to the regular season.
All told, the left-hander pitched five innings of one-run baseball while allowing just three hits – the loudest of which was a Franmil Reyes home run. The walk to Bradley Jr. was the only one he issued on a night he topped out at 97.2 m.p.h.
Of course, there are further challenges ahead for Kikuchi, staring Sunday when he faces the Angels in Anaheim. But there were many positives to take from this start, from his fifth-inning escape to the velocity he displayed to the way he let his defence support him.
Case in point, following the Reyes home run in the second inning, Kikuchi kept attacking the strike zone. He allowed some more hard contact, but his defence supported him as Whit Merrifield made a nice catch in right field to rob Hunter Dozier of a hit, then Daulton Varsho turned a Bradley Jr. fly ball into a double play with a strong throw home. Simply put, his trust in the Blue Jays’ defence paid off.
It was Varsho who led Toronto offensively, as the left-handed hitter connected for his first home run as a Blue Jay while also bunting for a base hit. It’s that combination of defence, speed and power that made the 26-year-old a top Blue Jays target over the winter, when they acquired him from Arizona for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.
But it was Matt Chapman, not Varsho, who batted cleanup Tuesday, and he rewarded the Blue Jays with a three-hit game of his own. Games like this suddenly seem like the norm for Chapman, who now has two hits or more in four of the Blue Jays’ five games.
Meanwhile, Merrifield started in Kansas City for the first time since the Royals traded him to Toronto last summer. A video tribute played on the scoreboard before the game, and Merrifield would later double and score.
Not to be overlooked, the Blue Jays’ bullpen stepped up with four innings of scoreless relief from Yimi Garcia, Tim Mayza, Erik Swanson and closer Jordan Romano.
Most important for the Blue Jays, though, was the performance of Kikuchi. For now, he helped the Blue Jays improve to 2-3 with a welcome early-season win, snapping a three-game skid. And if he’s capable of sustaining this level of performance in the months ahead, the Blue Jays will be even happier.
